Governance

Strategic Priority: Ea

To restore pono and ea, Native Hawaiians will achieve self-governance, after which the assets of OHA will be transferred to the new governing entity.

Why is this important?

Native Hawaiian self-governance is of utmost importance to our organization’s efforts to improve conditions for Native Hawaiians. A key goal of our efforts is to facilitate a process that gives Hawaiians the opportunity to re-develop a government that reaffirms Native Hawaiians as a political rather than racial group.

The benefit of such a Native Hawaiian government is its ability to provide Native Hawaiians with greater control over their destiny as they move toward self-determination and self-sufficiency. Native Hawaiian programs and assets that benefit Native Hawaiians can be attacked in federal courts if political recognition from the federal government is not extended to Native Hawaiians. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Board of Trustees prioritizes political recognition of Native Hawaiians by the United States because it is critical to enabling Native Hawaiians to build a brighter future. The U.S. government has processes for extending political recognition to other indigenous groups, but has no process for Native Hawaiians.

What is our aim?

• The transfer of assets to a new governing entity
  • Adoption by the Board of Trustees of a Transition Plan that includes the legal transfer of assets and other resources to the new Native Hawaiian governing entity.
• Understand the need for a viable land base
  • 70% of all Hawaii residents understand and agree that a viable land base is necessary for the new Native Hawaiian governing entity.

Community Stories

Strategic priority in action: Ea

PAE‘ĀINA — OHA’s goal is for all Native Hawaiians to participate in the nation-building process and allow them to decide what form a Hawaiian nation will take and what sort of relationships it will seek with other government.

The emergence of a Native Hawaiian government is extremely important to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

For that reason, OHA is putting a lot of effort into encouraging Native Hawaiians to participate in the process to ensure their voices are heard.

In March 2014, OHA’s Board of Trustees made public the agency’s commitment to helping smooth the way for Native Hawaiians to build a government.

Since then, OHA has launched an outreach campaign aimed at informing the public about the nation-building process. The campaign featured 20 town hall-style meetings across the state as well as canvassing in Hawaiian homestead communities, where volunteers knocked on doors to familiarize Native Hawaiians with this new opportunity to better manage their future.

How We’re Doing

Tracking our progress in real time

The data presented below is a snapshot of how weʻre doing in the strategic priority area of Ea and is part of a larger effort to provide transparency and improve accountability. To view the full dashboard, please visit dashboard.hawaii.gov/oha.